The high hills of Himachal Pradesh received snowfall on Sunday keeping locals indoors and leaving tourists delighted.
Rain brought some relief to other parts of north India from the intense cold wave even as temperatures in the Kashmir Valley dipped below the freezing point.
Gulmarg, the famous ski-resort in north Kashmir, received fresh snowfall on Monday even as minimum temperatures at most places in the Valley and in Ladakh region appreciated by several degrees, providing relief from the intense cold to the residents.
"There was light snowfall of 1.25 inch in Gulmarg during the night," a metereological department official said. The official said the night temperatures increased at most places in the Valley with the mercury in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, settling near the freezing point. Srinagar registered an increase of over four degrees from the previous night's low of minus 4.4 degrees Celsius to settle at minus 0.3 degree Celsius.
The MeT office has said the weather would remain mainly dry and cold over the state over the next few days. Kashmir Valley is currently under the grip of Chillai Kalan -- the 40-day harshest winter period, which begins on December 21.
The chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent during this period and the weather remains cold during as the day temperature also dips drastically, freezing most of the water bodies including the famous Dal Lake.
It was a chilly morning in New Delhi as icy winds swept the city while fog disrupted rail operations, delaying 29 trains. According to MeT department, the minimum temperature settled at 7.8 degrees Celsius which was one notch above normal for this part of the season but considerably down from Sunday's minimum temperature of 12 degrees Celsius.
Shallow fog was witnessed in the national capital in the early hours and visibility was recorded at 1,000 meters at 8:30 am while humidity levels were registered at 92 per cent. As per Northern Railways, early morning fog delayed 29 north-bound trains while the departure time of three trains had to be rescheduled.
The maximum temperatures across Punjab and Haryana have plunged sharply as cold wind resurfaced in the two states after three days of mild rainfall.
While the night temperatures remained above normal despite witnessing a slight drop in comparison to Sunday's temperature, the maximum temperatures have plunged sharply in both the states during the past three days, the MeT department officials said.
The minimum temperature in Chandigarh was recorded at 7.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal. Cold winds in the day time prevailed in Chandigarh.
